For Survival
by Rick E
Summary: Chronicling the struggles of a group of people trying to survive in the world of The Walking Dead. (OC, same universe as the show, crossover unlikely but possible.)
1. Intro

Riley Sloan woke up as the sun shone through the gap in the curtains of his bedroom. He was immediately freezing cold, but considering he was in New Hampshire in early winter, he had gotten used to it, mostly by wearing three layers of shirts and a sweater, two layers of pants, and two pairs of socks. He stood up as carefully as he could, so as to not wake up his girlfriend Julie Devereaux, who lay next to him. They usually managed to fall asleep by huddling together for warmth, and Riley would not have had it any other way, as she was the only bright spot in the new world that they lived in. Riley had assumed that in the past, before the undead rose, they never would have been a couple: he was forty-one and she was twenty-eight; he was from Massachusetts and she was from New York; and he was a quiet, slightly nerdy looking computer technician while she was a beautiful, fun-loving hairstylist. He had said this to her before, but Julie told him that that was ridiculous, saying that she would have fallen for anyone as honorable as him.

Riley changed into his black jeans and gray sweater, and prepared to leave his room, but he looked over at Julie one last time, admiring the way her light brown hair looked in the sunlight.

"You know you creep me out when you do that," Julie said suddenly, her eyes still closed.

"What can I say," Riley said sarcastically, "I'm a fan." Julie smiled, and Riley opened the door and stepped into the living room.

"Morning Alan," he said warmly to the tall, grayish-haired, fifty-eight year-old former fire chief who sat on the couch, reading an old Clive Cussler book called "Treasure".

"Morning Riley," Alan responded. "There's some soup on the burner."

"Thanks. How's the book?"

"Pretty good actually. You wanna read it when I'm done?"

"I would, but I don't wanna miss my People's Court." Riley smirked; Alan rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure that if I got the chance to watch one more TV show, it wouldn't be some court show."

"Yeah, you always struck me as a Matlock kinda guy."

Alan laughed. "Shut up."

Riley laughed, as he poured himself a ladle's worth of soup. He then took his labeled water bottle and sat on the couch opposite the one upon which Alan sat. Riley looked out the window.

"So," Riley said, "doesn't seem like the lake's gonna melt anytime soon, huh?"

Alan shook his head. "Nope."

"I see two goons out for a walk on the ice."

"Yep, saw 'em earlier."

Their group had arrived at Lake Winnipesaukee in mid-October, and after several boat rides back and forth (the only one they found was only big enough for three people), they made it to Bear Island, the largest on the lake. It was obvious that the island was inhabited for a while after the end, but several houses had been destroyed and there were undead people, which the group not-so-affectionately called "goons", everywhere. The eight people in the house managed to clear the island without incident, but only were able to find one house unlocked and in good condition. The house had only three bedrooms, with five beds, but the group managed to make it work. They knew that with winter approaching, the lake would freeze over, and more of the undead could potentially make their way to the island, but they agreed that it was worth the risk.

"I'll go take care of them in a while," Riley said, right as Melissa, a black-haired twenty-three year-old who at the time of the outbreak was a waitress and recent college graduate, left her room, which she shared with Alan and her friend Donnie. She walked wordlessly to the burner to get herself some soup.

"Good morning Melissa," Riley said nicely.

"Morning," she said coldly.

Riley and Alan gave each other a look, a look they had given many times before when Melissa had previously acted indifferent to the group. Deep down though, they knew Melissa was not a bad person, she just had a lot of pain.

When the outbreak started, she, Donnie, her boyfriend Ryan, and Donnie's girlfriend (and Melissa's best friend) Nicole were on a road trip celebrating their graduation from the University of Connecticut, Stamford, which was supposed to take them all throughout New England, but while in Maine, they were suddenly rounded up by National Guardsmen for "their own protection", a mistake that cost Nicole her life as panic spread through the community center-turned-shelter they were placed in. Many people operated under the assumption that the virus was only spread through contact, but through all the rioting and chaos, they saw people take a bullet in the chest and wake up just a few minutes later, as a mindless cannibal. The trio broke free from the shelter, only for Ryan to accidentally be shot as they ran away. Donnie had had to pull Melissa away from Ryan's body to save her from being eaten. Melissa should have been grateful, but there was always a sort of lingering resentment she had for Donnie, like she would have rather died.

"So, is it just the two of them out there?" Melissa asked.

"Seems like it," Riley responded. "I'll take care of them after I've had my breakfast." Melissa nodded.

Julie finally emerged from hers and Riley's bedroom, right as William, a tall, muscular African-American man, came out from the room across from the room occupied by Alan, Melissa, and Donnie.

"Good morning everyone," Julie said warmly to the others.

"Morning Julie. William." Alan nodded to both as he spoke, and returned to his book.

"Family sleeping well?" Julie asked William.

"I hope so," William responded in his deep baritone voice.

The Carlton family had joined the group most recently, only a few days before making it to the island. The forty-seven year-old handyman had been protecting his wife Theresa, who was forty-five and a former receptionist, and their seventeen-year-old son Jason by hiding in an old house. William tried to do most of the goon killing himself so that his family would not have to, but they had had to do it on occasion, so he finally decided to train them better; he had grown up in a gang and knew his way around knives and even guns (though they did not own one), but he turned his life around, started his business, started a family, and became a modest success. He was proud of his redemption, and hoped that his son would never fall in with a bad crowd. Ironically, this left Jason sorely ill-equipped to handle the new world, and William begrudgingly toughened his son up as best he could.

"So," Julie asked, "any plans for today?"

"Yeah," Melissa sarcastically jumped in, "I was gonna hit the mall and then grab some drinks with all my girlfriends."

"Cute," Riley snarked back. "I was thinking of making my way over to the mainland and searching for some more supplies. We haven't checked the Weirs Beach area yet."

"Probably because it was overrun last we looked", Donnie said sarcastically as he emerged from his room.

"Hey Donnie," Julie said sweetly to him.

"Morning," he responded.

Riley continued. "We've seen that the cold slows them down, and we had a hell of a snowstorm the other day, so some of the goons may be stuck."

"He's right," Julie added, "it might be safer now. I think it's worth the risk. That place was still bustling when everything happened, there could be plenty of food still there."

"Can I go?" Jason asked as he came into the room. "You shouldn't be alone."

"Not a chance," William said. "You're not ready for that yet."

"He's right," Theresa said as she came out of their room. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Riley wouldn't let anything happen to me. Right?" Jason looked at Riley hopefully.

"Look," Riley said, "I'd let you come with me, but your parents don't want you to go. I've done this before; I know how to get in and out a little better than you."

"Well how the hell am I supposed to learn?!" Jason was shouting now.

"Watch your mouth," Theresa said sternly.

"How about those two outside?" Alan jumped in. "There's only two of them, and we'll go out there with him, watch his back."

Jason's parents looked hesitant. "Mom," Jason said, "I can do this. At least let me do this much."

"I'll go out with him," Riley said, "make sure nothing happens."

William thought about it again. "Okay," he said, "but I'm going out there too. You do need to get better at defending yourself. Honey?"

Theresa sighed. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will."

Riley, William, and Jason put on their heavy jackets and boots, and stepped out onto the wooden porch. They then made their way down the stairs and onto the dock. Riley started banging on the metal support pole at the end of the dock to attract the two goons slowly shuffling by. The two goons, both male, turned their attention to the three of them.

"Here they come," Riley said. "You ready kid?"

"Ready," Jason said as he lifted his aluminum baseball bat into the air. Riley and William both held hunting knives in their hands. Once the two goons made it to the dock, Jason swung his bat and hit one of them right in the side of the head. It fell to the ground, but was not dead. Jason swung his bat again, and hit the second one in the shoulder, which it barely reacted to. It then reached for Jason on the dock. Theresa, watching from the cabin with the others, screamed in terror, worried her son was about to be attacked.

But Jason was right. Riley wouldn't let anything happen to him.

Riley grabbed the goon by its shirt and pulled it onto the dock. He then stomped on its head, and finally finished it off by stabbing it in the head. The second goon stood up, and William kicked it in the head, making it fall backwards. Riley ran out onto the ice, and just like the first one, slammed the knife into its head.

"I hate these fucking things," Riley said with a sigh. "You alright Jason?"

"Yeah," Jason said, still shaken. "I'm good."

Back in the cabin, Julie hugged Theresa. "It's okay," Julie said. "Jason's okay."

The men came back inside, and Theresa ran and hugged her son. "Mom," Jason said, "I changed my mind. I don't wanna go with Riley anymore."

The others laughed, as Riley removed his coat. "Don't worry kid, I won't drag you along."

"Besides," Julie jumped in, "I wanted to join him." She then winked at Riley; he smiled.

"This is really a scouting mission more than anything," Riley announced. "If we find a substantial amount of goods, we'll go back with more people. For now though, we only need two of us."

A little while later, Riley and Julie suited up for their mission to Weirs Beach, a (former) popular tourist trap, with arcades, mini-golf, and even a scenic train that runs through town. But most importantly, there were nearly thirty restaurants in the area, and they were hoping that at least one of them still had food of some kind. They both took M19 revolvers and their own hunting knives, and Riley took a double-barreled shotgun while Julie took an M9 Beretta.

"We'll be back by tomorrow," Riley said. "If we don't come back, you guys know what to do."

Everyone nodded solemnly, as they did know what to do:

Nothing.

"Bye guys," Julie said. "Don't worry about us." She then closed the door, and they set off for the five-mile walk to Weirs.

"We all know why they insisted on just the two of them going, right?" Donnie said, smiling and raising his eyebrows.

"Shut up Donnie," Alan, Melissa, and Jason said in unison. Donnie smirked.

Riley and Julie made it across the island without incident, and now faced the long walk across the frozen lake to the town. There were no goons in sight.

"That was impressive," Julie said. "Saving Jason like that."

"It was nothing," Riley said, "I just couldn't let the kid die."

Julie grimaced. "You really need to start giving yourself more credit. You're the most heroic, bravest person at that cabin."

Riley smirked. "Don't make me out into a total badass. I ain't perfect."

"You've done alright by us. All of us. It was your idea to go to that island."

"Well, let's just hope a herd doesn't decide to go by."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Take a frickin compliment for ONCE, would you?" They laughed.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm the most badass badass that ever badassed."

"THANK you!" They laughed again.

They continued to move cautiously across the ice. Finally, they made it to the pier at Weirs Beach. Once they were on it, they walked straight for the snack bar in the arcade. They rummaged through for a few minutes, but found nothing. After going through a few more places, they found nothing other than two cans of peas and a package of noodles. They were not terribly surprised by this, but they were very surprised that they had not encountered a single goon yet.

Julie sighed. "Someone must have come through, wiped the goons out, and collected everything here."

"Yeah," Riley responded, "that'd be my guess."

Suddenly, a shotgun cocked behind them. They froze instantly.

"Put your weapons on the ground," a female voice called out. "Try anything funny, I'll shoot."

"Okay," Riley said, "we don't want any trouble." He then dropped his weapons on the ground and motioned for Julie to do the same, which she did.

They then turned around slowly, to try and reason with the gunwoman. However, once they turned around, they were surprised at who they saw.

The girl aiming a pump-action shotgun at them was a teenager.

"One wrong move, I blow your head off."


	2. Trackers

Riley and Julie kept their hands over their heads, hoping to talk the gun-toting teen in a pink winter coat and black beanie down before she pulled the trigger.

"It's okay," he said, "we don't want any trouble. My name's Riley. Riley Sloan."

The teen just stared and kept aiming.

"And I'm Julie," Julie added. "Devereaux."

"We're not bad people," Riley continued. "We're just looking for some supplies. We live in a cabin on Bear Island with six other people and—"

"Seriously?" The teen was incredulous. "How could you stay on that hell-hole?"

"It's not too bad," Julie said. "We've got shelter, it's secluded, and not a lot of goons make it there. And when the ice melts in spring, there won't be any at all."

"Goons? I've always heard them called 'walkers'."

"Yeah," Riley jumped in, "I never liked that name. Regular people walk too, it's very non-indicative."

"What happened on the island?" Julie asked.

The teen paused. "You guys aren't from around here, are you?"

Riley and Julie shook their heads.

The teen continued, and lowered her gun. "When everything started, everyone and their mother thought it would be a good idea to go to the islands. They thought it'd be safer." She paused. "It wasn't."

"When we got there, the place was overrun with goons," Riley said. "How'd it happen?"

The teen sighed. "The people who lived on the island beforehand didn't like the place being overcrowded, and the new people weren't willing to leave. So they fought for the place. Only, when it was over, nobody won."

Riley and Julie were in shock. "We knew something happened," Julie said, "but seriously? THAT is what happened?"

The teen nodded. "Apparently they didn't know, like I didn't know, that no matter how you died, if your brain wasn't fucked up, you came back. People were getting up and eating the person who murdered them."

"How do you know this?" Riley asked. "Were you there?"

"I lived on the mainland, overlooking the lake. I tried to ride it out there with my parents, and we saw the whole thing happen. My mom didn't want me to watch, but I couldn't look away. I couldn't believe that people could turn on each other so quickly."

Riley looked solemn. "Panic is probably how everything collapsed like it has."

Julie nodded. "What's your name?"

After a pause, she said, "Emily."

"Nice to meet you Emily." He paused for a moment. "Is this whole place picked clean?"

"Pretty much," Emily said. "I did find a huge box of food. It had canned goods, some cheese and crackers, and even some jerky." She smiled. "Sorry, but that last one is LONG gone."

Julie chuckled. "Is there any chance of us making a trade?"

"What are you offering?"

Julie grinned. "How about a good shelter? With us?"

Riley smiled. "Sure, the others would welcome you with open arms if you came bearing food."

"Besides," Julie added, "we have a pull-out couch and an extra air mattress. You and your parents could stay with us until we can get into some of the other houses."

Emily looked down at the ground. "They're dead."

The smiles dropped from Riley's and Julie faces. "I'm really sorry," he said.

"Since they died, I've just been wandering around, place to place, trying not to die. I really didn't wanna shoot you guys before, since I'm down to three shells."

"Well," Riley said, "if you don't want to come to the island with us, we'd be willing to trade weapons for food."

"We would like you to come though," Julie jumped in. "We won't feel right about leaving you behind when we could spare the room."

"You don't need to worry about me," Emily said.

"Come with us, you won't have to worry much anymore." Riley nodded in agreement.

Emily thought it over. "Okay."

"Great!" Julie said enthusiastically. "Where's the food?"

Emily then led Riley and Julie to a garage and lifted the door. Inside was a huge box still seated on a cart, and surrounding it was empty cans and wrappers. In the corner was a sleeping bag resting in front of a duffel bag that Emily was using as a pillow.

"How long have you been staying here?" Julie asked.

"About a week now," she responded. "It ain't much, but it's a place to sleep at night. I was planning on moving on as soon as the amount of food got low enough for me to carry."

"We'll get as much as we can now," Riley said, "and if there's any left, we'll come back."

…

Back at the cabin, Donnie sat on the porch, covered head to toe in winter gear, keeping an eye out for anyone, alive or undead, that may come their way. Alan then exited the cabin, holding his telescope.

"So you're breaking that thing in again?" Donnie asked.

"Tonight," Alan said, "is the first clear night we've had in five days. And I was tracking a comet last time, so here's hoping I can still see it."

"I still don't believe you on that," Jason said, joining them. "I don't know how you could tell."

Alan smirked. "I've been doing this as a hobby for almost fifty years now. I raised my kids knowing what to look for up there." He paused for a second. "Hopefully, they're still looking up there."

"Where'd you say they lived?" Jason asked. "San Francisco?"

"My son's in San Fran, daughter's in San Diego," he responded. "I keep feeling that things are better there. I feel like I once heard before the broadcasts stopped that things were better out there."

"Yeah," Donnie said, "I think I heard that too."

Donnie was lying. One of the last broadcasts he saw showed footage of San Francisco being firebombed. He knew that there was still a chance that Donnie's daughter was alive, but he did not have the heart to tell Alan what he saw.

"Shit!" Jason said. "Goon."

"I got this one," Alan said. He picked up a bat, and he walked down the stairs. The female goon looked at him, and he raised the bat and swung it down on her head, knocking her to the ground. She was dazed, but not dead, so Alan swung one final time and cracked her skull open. Jason frowned, wishing that he was half as skilled as Alan against a goon.

Back inside, Theresa looked at Jason through the window. "He's just a boy," she said to William. "He shouldn't have been out there."

William sighed. "I know, but he has to learn how to—"

"Not like that," Theresa interrupted. "That was way too dangerous."

"You know I wouldn't have let anything happen to him."

"I know but…" She teared up. "Look it makes perfect sense, but I'm his mom. I worry about him whether it makes sense or not."

William wrapped his arms around her. "And that's why you're a good mom."

Back outside, Donnie heard rustling in the woods, so he quickly raised his hunting rifle and looked through the scope.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Can't tell yet," Donnie responded. He kept watching, and soon deduced that there were three figures. He kept his finger just above the trigger, until he recognized two of the figures.

"It's Riley and Julie," he reported, "and some girl."

"The fuck?" Alan was confused. "Do they know she's there? Is she following them?"

"No, she's walking WITH them."

Jason knelt down. "They're seriously bringing someone else? There's eight of us and WE barely fit."

Donnie kept watching, and soon noticed something else about them.

"They've all got huge bags. They must have hit the mother lode."

"No shit…" Alan said, impressed.

"We come bearing gifts!" Riley shouted. "We got some supplies, and enough food to last us the rest of the winter."

"Not bad," Donnie said, "but two of you left and I'm seeing three. And I finished the booze off a month ago so I'm not drunk, so who's that?"

"You're right," Emily said to Julie, "he DOES have a bad sense of humor." Julie laughed.

"This is Emily," Riley said. "She agreed to share the supplies in exchange for shelter."

"Hi," Emily said awkwardly.

"Okay…" Donnie said, dragging out the word. "Come on in."

The three of them climbed the stairs, and Emily looked at Alan and Jason. They smiled and waved, and she waved back. After that, they entered the cabin.

"Hi everyone," Emily said to the three people in the cabin, "I'm Emily."

"Hi Emily," Theresa said warmly. Unfortunately, the sentiment wasn't unanimous amongst the cabin residents.

"You brought somebody else in?!" Melissa was in disbelief. "We're overcrowded as is, but you two thought it'd be a good idea to bring some stranger in?"

"She's like fifteen," Donnie said as he entered the cabin. "She won't be a threat."

"Shut up Donnie," Melissa snapped. "We don't have enough food for US. With this girl here, we're just gonna run out faster."

"Well," Julie said, "thank God she had these." She then took her bag off of her shoulder, unzipped it, and put it on the ground. "There are two more bags like this, and there's even some left in town. We're covered for the winter at LEAST."

Melissa was silent, wanting to say something else in anger but drawing a blank.

"Look," Emily said, "I'm willing to help out however—" Before she could finish, Melissa stormed back into her room.

"I'll talk to her," Donnie said with a sigh as he went to their room.

"Look," Emily said quietly, "I don't wanna cause trouble. If you guys want me to go, I get it."

"Don't worry," William jumped in. "Melissa can get angry at times, but she's not a bad person. Give her time, she'll come around to you."

"Possibly," Alan snarked.

"Don't worry about her," Riley said. "We are kinda getting sick of speaking to the same seven people every day." He and Julie laughed.

"You're welcome here sweetie," Theresa said. "And you're surrounded by good people."

"Yeah," William added, "we look out for each other."

Emily smiled. "Thank you."

"Now," Riley announced, "I don't know about you folks, but there is a canned ham in my bag begging to be eaten." Everyone's faces lit up.

They cooked the ham over a fire pit on the deck. They were all grateful for the tastiest meal they had had in months, and they took the opportunity to get to know Emily better.

"So how old are you?" Theresa asked.

"I…don't know actually," Emily said. "I've lost count of the days. I'm either fourteen or fifteen. I'll know in spring."

"Today is January 17th," Julie said, smiling. "We've kept track."

"Oh," Emily said, caught off guard. "Well then, I'm fourteen for another twelve days."

"And to think," Riley said, "if we hadn't found you, you'd have spent your fifteenth birthday in a cold, dark garage."

"For that, I'm eternally grateful." Emily and the others laughed.

Melissa even ultimately joined in. "Still mad at the new girl?" Donnie asked. "I haven't eaten something this good since that Mexican place in Augusta, remember?"

Melissa gave him a death glare. "I really don't like thinking about before."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Could you MAYBE stop being such an ice queen and just join in on the fun?"

"Fine. Sorry." She still looked unhappy, but Donnie was done trying.

For the next hour or so, the group talked, and laughed, and made Emily feel welcome. Alan even showed her some of his celestial maps, and after spotting it again, showed her the comet he had been tracking.

They kept the fire low, but a faint glow was still given off. Fortunately, any passing goons were more interested in the far brighter moon and ignored it. However, the fire did get some unwanted notice from across the lake.

"Got you now, bitch!" The stalker clenched his binoculars in vengeful satisfaction.


	3. Frigid

"Okay," Riley said, out of breath. "That should be good enough."

"Thanks," Emily said, "but you didn't have to blow up the air mattress for me. I could've slept on one of the couches."

"First of all," Julie said, "both of those couches are extremely uncomfortable. Second of all, you don't want to sleep in a high-traffic area; where do you think we all go when we wake up in the morning?"

"Third," Riley added, "this pump has been gathering dust for months."

"Yeah," Donnie jumped in, "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who's used it before."

Emily smiled. "You guys really don't have to do all this for me. It feels…weird."

Riley chuckled. "We're just trying to make you feel welcome here. Considering how much food you gave us, it seemed like the least we could do."

"And you two are really gonna let me sleep in your room?"

"It's the only room that has any space left," Julie said.

"You met this girl a few hours ago," Melissa said incredulously, "and all of a sudden, you're letting her sleep on the floor of your room? Am I the only one who finds this kinda weird?"

"Weird times," Alan mused. "What's the big deal? We share a room and you barely know me."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"So Riley," William jumped in, "you're going back to Weirs tomorrow to get the rest of the food?"

"Yeah," he said, "there's not a lot left. Should only be a two-person job."

"We've got this," Julie added, "don't you guys worry."

"And you're sure there's nothing else around?" Donnie asked Emily. "You cleared the whole place out?"

Emily nodded. "I'm sure."

"We'll head out at first light," Riley said, "should be back by lunch time. See you in the morning."

"Good night everyone," Julie added.

"Good night," the others said in unison. Emily then decided to head to bed as well, looking forward to the first comfortable night's sleep she has had since setting out on her own. She walked into Riley and Julie's bedroom right as they climbed into bed.

"Good night Emily," Julie said. "It may not seem like it right now, but we really are happy to have you here. No matter what, Riley and I will always have your back."

"That's right," Riley added. "Now get some rest. It's not a cold concrete floor anymore; now it's a slightly less cold air mattress." All three laughed.

"Thank you guys," Emily said, smiling. "For everything."

Riley smiled back. "Don't mention it, kid." After that, all three went to sleep.

In the other bedrooms, conversations were still had.

"I still don't like that girl being here," Melissa said.

"You don't like anything anymore," Donnie said, eyes closed, from his own air mattress in front of Melissa's bed. "Besides, she's fourteen. If she DOES try something, I think we can take her."

"What if she cuts our throats in our sleep? Did you think about that? We don't KNOW her!"

Donnie opened his eyes and sat up. "I gave that very little thought, because that's stupid."

"Melissa," Alan jumped in, from his bed next to Melissa's, "we can't give up on other people. We have to believe there are still other good people out there."

Melissa glared at him. "I've seen people we're all SUPPOSED to trust turn on us. Soldiers, cops, and I'm sure there are probably people like doctors, or priests, or WHATEVER, that have done the same. And you know as well as I do that there are sick people on the road. And I'm not talking about the ones who LITERALLY are sick; I'm talking about the dangerous people. The ones who WANT to hurt people."

Donnie just stared at her. "How paranoid are you? There's NO chance that we are the only eight non-homicidal people still alive in the entire world. This is exactly how you felt about the Carltons when they joined our group."

"Yeah," Alan added, "and they've turned out to be great. I mean, William built us a damn toilet!"

"Fine," Melissa said sarcastically, "when Emily builds us something useful, I'll start trusting her." At that, she angrily turned around in her bed and faced the wall. Alan and Donnie shared an annoyed glance, and lay down.

"Good night," Donnie said sardonically.

Next door, the Carltons also discussed their new houseguest.

"What do you think of the new girl, honey?" Theresa asked her son.

"She's okay," he said quietly. "She seems nice."

"I like her," William added. "Then again, I have a soft spot for people who bring me food."

"I hear that," Theresa responded.

"Do you think she should be here though?" Jason asked. "I mean, we don't really have much room."

William sat up and looked over at his son. "I think there's just enough room for her, but I don't think we should be bringing in anyone else, at least not until we can get some of the other houses open. I'd say we're at capacity now."

"I'm a little worried about Melissa," Theresa added. "She clearly doesn't want her here."

"Yeah," William said, "but then again it doesn't take much to piss HER off."

"She'll come around," Jason said, "at least I think she will. She got used to US, didn't she?"

"We should do our best to make Emily feel welcome here," Theresa concluded. "I mean, I think she'd at least enjoy having someone close to her own age to talk to."

Jason looked over, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Theresa smiled. "I'm just saying, be friendly to her. You'd also probably enjoy it."

"Um, okay," Jason said, confused. "I'll…uh, try, I guess." He paused. "I'm gonna go to bed now."

Theresa smirked. "Okay, good night honey." Jason then closed his eyes, still reeling from the awkwardness of the conversation. In the next bed, Theresa looked at her husband, and they smiled, knowing their son took the conversation out of context.

…

The next morning, Riley and Julie quietly got dressed up for the trek back to Weirs Beach. They made their way out about a half an hour after the sun rose, and only Alan and William were awake at the time.

"Emily still asleep?" Alan asked.

"Oh yeah," Riley said. "She was sleeping on a damn floor when we found her; she might not get up all day."

Alan nodded. "So you guys won't be gone too long?"

"Hopefully not," Julie said. "We don't need to go place to place this time."

"Should be a walk in the park," Riley added.

"Well," William said, "if Emily does wake up, we'll keep her company until you get back."

"Glad to hear it," Riley said.

"See you guys in a couple hours," Julie said as she waved to Alan and William. Then, she and Riley headed out.

"So," Riley said as they faded from view of the cabin, "will there be any interruptions this time?"

Julie smiled. "Shouldn't be," she said with a wink. Riley grinned from ear to ear.

Back at the cabin, Melissa came into the living room and headed for the burner to get some breakfast soup. She noticed the new six-pack of batteries next to the burner, which was now down to four, and she was irritated at the fact that Emily was responsible for bringing them. Rolling her eyes, she decided not to eat, and sat down at the kitchen table with her bottle of water.

After that, Emily came out of her room.

"Morning guys," she said.

"Morning," Alan and William said in unison.

"And good morning Melissa," she added. Melissa just nodded.

Emily went over and grabbed her water bottle and poured herself a cup of soup. "What kind of soup is it?" She asked.

"Tomato," Alan said.

"Yay! I love tomato." Emily then sat at the table, two seats away from Melissa. Melissa looked annoyed, and Emily noticed.

"Look Melissa," Emily said, "I know you don't want me here, but I am grateful to be here. I owe all you guys, and I just want you to know that I don't mean any trouble." She paused. "I just wanna be your friend. I wanna be everyone's friend here."

After a moment, Melissa responded. "Sure…"

Emily smiled, appreciating the effort Melissa was making.

…

Riley and Julie gradually made their way across the frozen lake. They were roughly two-thirds of the way to Weirs Beach.

"Feels a little less cold today," Julie said, nervously.

"Maybe a little," Riley responded, "but the ice feels solid enough. Besides, we're almost there."

Despite Julie's misgivings, they made it across the lake without incident. But before going to Emily's garage, they decided to head toward a deserted hotel overlooking the lake, whose front doors had been destroyed. They found several rooms with the doors wide open, and went into one and closed the door.

"This was too easy," Riley said, smiling.

"Let's make this quick though," Julie said, "it's still friggin cold here."

Riley smirked. "You KNOW it doesn't take me very long." Riley locked the door to their room, then pulled her in close and kissed her, and they both quickly disrobed each other. She then pushed him onto the bed, and they started to have sex.

As Riley and Julie frolicked in the hotel, a large herd began making its way toward Weirs. As the temperature had risen slightly in the last few days, they began moving slightly faster, and gradually, more and more goons recruited themselves to the herd. At roughly a half mile away, the herd was currently at ninety-seven strong.

Riley and Julie then left the hotel. "Worth the wait," Riley said, smiling.

Julie rolled her eyes. "You're such a pig."

"No, I'm a middle-aged man who has been unable to have sex with his hot, much younger girlfriend for two weeks!" They both laughed.

"Wait," Julie said, as they got to the garage, "does forty-one really count as middle-aged anymore? Hell, I'm pretty sure twenty-eight is past that point in this day and age."

Riley thought it over. "You're probably right. Hell, God knows if we'll even make it through the year." He paused. "Which is all the more reason why I hate waiting!" They laughed again, as they filled their bags with the rest of their supplies. They then made their way back toward the lake, and as they turned a corner, a lone goon emerged and attacked them. Julie smacked it in the head with her bag, which gave Riley enough time to pull out his gun and shoot it in the face. They looked at each other, still in shock.

"Let's go," Riley said, "others might've heard that shot." Julie nodded, and they started running toward the lake.

As they got to the last street before the lake, Julie gasped in horror. Riley was about to ask what was wrong, when he noticed the herd coming straight for them.

"We've gotta run," he said as he grabbed Julie by the arm and ran with her to the lake. The herd followed. They tried to walk across as quickly as they could, but they could not move fast enough without slipping.

"They're following us," Julie said, terrified.

"God," Riley said in horror, "there must be a hundred of them."

As they looked back, they saw almost the whole herd coming after them.

"Oh shit," Riley said.

"What?!"

"The ice is cracking."


	4. Heating Up

Riley and Julie stared behind them, watching several goons fall through the ice as the crack in the ice grew larger around the undead's feet.

"We gotta go faster," Julie said. "They're gonna go through and take us with them."

"Well if we go too fast," Riley said, "we'll beat 'em to it." He sighed. "Look, let's just keep doing what we were doing and maybe we can stay ahead of them long enough." He looked back as some of the goons tried running, only to slip and fall almost comically, and in a few cases, fall through the ice. Nevertheless, a good portion of the herd still followed as little as twenty feet behind.

Riley and Julie were about one hundred and fifty feet from the island.

"As soon as we're on land," Riley said, "run like a fat guy at Hannibal Lecter's house."

Julie glared. "Please say something else, because I don't want THAT to be the last thing I hear if we die!"

Riley smirked. "Just a little further," he said as he saw two more of the undead fall through the ice. Suddenly, a very loud crack emanated from behind, followed by a series of tearing noises.

"Oh my God," Julie said, horrified.

"We're almost there, don't give up now." One hundred feet to go.

The tears became longer and louder, and the spider-web crack extended further. A few more undead fell through.

"Riley, we should make a run for it. We can get to the island in like ten seconds."

"Yeah, but we can also slip and smash through the ice. Some of these dumbasses are doing it, and I don't want to join them."

Julie sighed. "Fuck."

Seventy feet remaining.

At that moment, the sound of twenty goons going through the ice sent shivers down the spines of Riley and Julie. It sounded like a car crashing through a glass window.

"GO GO GO!" Riley shouted, dropping all hope of the ice holding out long enough. He and Julie started to cautiously jog back to shore, as the spider-web came dangerously close to them.

"We're almost there," Julie said, motivating herself not to stop. "Almost there. Almost there. Almost the—" Before she could finish, the ice cracked beneath her feet, only twenty feet from shore, and she fell into the water up to her shoulders. Riley looked back when he heard the sound, and quickly made his way to her.

"Get back!" Julie shouted. "You'll fall in too. Just go!"

"Not a chance," Riley said, determined. He took the duffel bag off of his shoulder, unhooked the strap, and threw it over to her. "Don't let go of that." She gripped the strap with both hands, and Riley started to pull her toward him. She managed to wiggle her way further and further out of the water, but the goons were now right behind her. She then took one of her hands off the strap and dipped it back into the water, to Riley's confusion.

"What the hell are you—" He stopped, as Julie's hand emerged from the water, holding her revolver. She fired at the closest goon, hitting it in the eye and blowing its brains out. Riley pulled as hard as he could, as she scored perfect headshots on the next three goons that came close to her. Right as Riley got her waist out of the water, she fired her last two bullets at two more of the undead, hitting both in the forehead. The last one she hit, a rather heavyset goon, fell backwards and broke the ice behind him. She lifted her feet out of the water, and stood up carefully. She and Riley then quickly power-walked to shore, as the twenty-nine remaining goons followed; twenty-four of them made it to shore without falling through the ice.

Riley and Julie then began running through the woods, back to the house. As the adrenaline wore off, Julie began to weaken from the cold water still soaking through her clothes. After a minute or so of running, she collapsed.

"Oh shit," Riley said, worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Julie said, struggling to stand up, but failing as her whole body shivered. Riley then picked her up and sprinted for the cabin.

"You're gonna be fine, babe. We'll get you warmed up at the cabin."

"Riley. If I freeze to death—"

"That's not gonna happen!"

"If it does, just make sure…you tell everyone…"

"Tell everyone what?"

Julie trembled as she spoke. "Tell them…I was six for six back there."

Riley smiled. "Yeah. You were. But you'll tell them yourself. I promise."

…

On watch, Alan paced back and forth on the porch, awaiting the return of Riley and Julie. He held his scoped rifle in his hands, ready for anything. He had seen a goon walk by on the ice about an hour before, but it walked by without even looking his way. As he stood guard, Emily walked out onto the porch.

"Hey Emily," he said kindly. "How are you? Getting along with Melissa okay?"

She grinned. "I like her. Yeah she's kinda cold, but I know she's a good person."

"What about the others?"

"I like everyone. Obviously, I owe Riley and Julie my life for letting me stay here." She paused. "Theresa is really nice to me, too. I like her a lot."

"All of us are grateful for the supplies. We were worried we wouldn't make it through the winter. But you really bailed us out. We won't forget that."

Emily smiled. "Happy to help." After a moment, she changed the subject. "Is it me, or have Riley and Julie been gone too long?"

Alan shrugged. "It's probably nothing. They may have just gotten tied up, like maybe they had to lay low for a while. It happens; William and I went on a run once where we spent the night hiding in an ice cream truck from goons."

Emily nodded. "Well, how long until we go looking for them?"

Alan looked down morosely. "They didn't tell you, did they?"

Emily was confused. "Tell me what?"

Alan took a deep breath. "A while back, we all sat down, had a good long talk, and agreed that if someone, or a group of people, take too long to return from a trek, it wouldn't be wise or safe to send people out looking for 'em. We agreed to find our own way back, or die trying."

Emily was frozen in shock, mouth agape. "You're willing to just…leave them out there? What if they need help?"

"And what if they don't? What if plans change? What if, God forbid, they've been taken out by a pack of goons, or even a group of ruthless hunters? It's dangerous out there, and it isn't fair to risk others for what may turn out to be a pointless task."

Emily was still shocked. "I can't believe this."

"Look, Riley and Julie are tough, and better yet, they're smart. They may have run into a complication and have to either work around it or lay low for a minute. We've been together for a while now, and we've never lost anyone. I think they can handle a quick supply run."

Emily nodded hesitantly. "And…they agreed to this?"

"Riley was the one who suggested it first."

Emily's eyes widened. "For real?"

Alan nodded. "He was very persuasive." He paused. "They, uh…they're a couple. You knew that right?" Emily nodded. "And do you think they…do 'couple' things?"

Emily glared at him. "I'm fourteen, not four, you don't have to dance around it. Yes, I think they have sex."

Alan smirked. "Well, of course they WANT to. But there's now nine of us living in this house. Hell, you're bunking with them now. The walls aren't particularly thick either, so they can't do anything loud."

"It is tough to stay quiet."

Alan looked at her, curiously. "You say that like you…" She looked back, and he backed down. "Not important. My point is, they've been volunteering to go on any two-person runs that come up, so they can have some alone time. They may just be…savoring it."

Emily giggled. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm sure they—"

"HELP! We need help!" Alan and Emily quickly looked over and saw Riley running toward them, with a barely-conscious Julie in his arms.

"Oh shit," Alan said. "What happened?"

"She fell through the ice and she's getting weaker!" He finally got to the stairs and climbed. Alan came to him and helped him carry her. Suddenly, Theresa came running out. "What the hell's goin' on?"

"Get some towels," Alan said, "and heat something up!"

"On it!" Theresa ran back inside, and Riley and Alan were close behind with Julie. Emily then came in and closed the door behind them. Riley and Alan carried Julie to her bed as the others looked on confused.

"What the hell?" Donnie asked.

"Is she okay?" Melissa asked.

"She's okay," Alan said, "but we gotta heat her up."

"Here you go," Theresa said to Riley as she handed him two large beach towels.

"Thank you," he said. "Now get her something hot."

"I'm on it."

Riley laid one of the towels on the bed, and Alan set Julie down on top of it. "I got this," Riley said to Alan, "tell the others everything's gonna be fine."

"You got it," Alan said as he left and shut the door behind him. Riley then took Julie's wet clothes off of her, and wrapped her in the second towel.

"You're gonna be okay," he said as he lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms. "I'll get you warm, they're gonna get you some warm soup, you're gonna be fine."

"Thank you," Julie said, weakly.

Outside, Theresa turned the burner to the highest setting, and put on a can of tomato soup. "What the hell happened out there?" She asked.

"She fell through the ice," Alan said. "That's all I got out of him."

"Probably coulda ballparked that one," Donnie said sarcastically.

"Shut up Donnie," William said. "Anything else?"

"That was it," said Alan. "They did get the supplies at least.

"What can we do for Julie?" Jason asked.

"We'll warm her up as best we can. I'm sure Riley's in there helping keep her temperature up, and the soup will help. After that, we'll let her rest for a while, and she should be okay."

"And if she doesn't?" Melissa jumped in. "We could have an undead monster in our own house, and none of you are concerned about that?"

"Look," Alan said, concealing his irritation, "odds are, she'll be fine. And if we do lose her, we'll make sure nothing happens to the rest of us."

"You think Riley will just…end her like that? I don't think he'll be able to do it."

"That's not gonna happen!" Emily said, angrily. "Julie is going to be fine, so stop being such a cynic, because I highly doubt Julie wants to hear any of us talking about what happens if she ISN'T gonna be fine."

Melissa glared back furiously. "Watch your mouth. You've been here for a DAY. I've known Julie for months now. You think I WANT anything to happen to her? Of course not. But I'm thinking ahead, and I'm not gonna let some little girl come into my life and talk SHIT to me! About how I don't care about her, because trust me, I care far more about her than YOU."

"Melissa," Donnie cut in, "take it easy."

"Shut up Donnie! Now you listen, don't think you can just come in here and act like anything you say matters when you just got here. I've DRIVEN for longer periods of time than you've been here. You gotta earn your place and you haven't done a fucking thing!"

"She's a kid," Theresa said. "Stop treating her like this."

"Besides," William jumped in, "do these supplies not count as 'help' to you?"

"No," Emily said. "Apparently it doesn't. But that's fine. Because as soon as I know that Julie's okay, I'm fucking leaving!"

"No!" Theresa said. "You can't!"

"I'll be fine. I was on my own for a while, and I was just fine. I'll take one bag of supplies and then you'll never see me again. Because I don't need this shit!"

"Look," Alan intervened, "let's all just relax, okay? I get that emotions are running high, but let's not say or do anything we're gonna regret in the morning."

"You heard the girl," Melissa said. "Don't make her do something she doesn't want to do."

Emily glared at Melissa. "I don't want to hear you act like a bitch, yet you're making me do that!"

"You little shit!" Melissa came at Emily, and Donnie and William held her back while Alan and Theresa stood in front of her.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Theresa screamed. "This is ridiculous!"

Jason went to check the soup, just wanting to avoid the drama, when something caught his eye. "Guys?"

"One minute sweetie," Theresa said calmly. "Enough fighting, or I'm gonna lose my damn mind."

"Guys?"

"We trying to survive, or not? We can't do that if we kill each other?"

"Guys they're coming!"

Suddenly, the others all turned their attention outside, and looked at the approaching herd.

"They REALLY skimped on the details," Donnie said, annoyed.


End file.
